What is Sodium Nitrate?
This is an inorganic salt that is used as the food additive by many applications. The chemical formula for the compound is NaNo3 with a molecular weight of 84.9947 g/mol. The product has salts of nitric acid and it is composed of one sodium cation and one nitrate anion ahead.
Sodium Nitrate Structure
The product has one nitrogen atom in the center and it is surrounded by three oxygen atoms around through two single bonds and one double bond. The product is in resonance with each other.
Sodium Nitrate Formula
The product is available naturally in mineral deposits in dry regions like desserts and more. This is also available as an impure gravel or nitrate rock too. The natural salt deposits are taken as the main source of this chemical after mining and purification. The product is synthesized industrially for various applications and it is further reacted with a base like sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydroxide and more.
HNO3 + NaOH → NaNO3 + H2OSodium Nitrate Molecular
The process is less exothermic in nature and this is a white crystalline solid with a density of 2.26 g/mL and a melting point of 308 °C. it could either exists as trigonal or rhombohedral crystals. This is a strong acid and dissolves completely in water in the form of sodium and nitrate ions. The product is quite stable at room temperatures and after prolonged heating, it will release toxic fumes too. This is a strong oxidizer too that reacts violently with reducing agents and other flammable materials.